With football becoming more pass heavy in recent seasons, wide receivers have been able to eat into the excess love that used to be showered on running backs. The growing popularity of point-per-reception leagues has also resulted in fantasy owners placing more value on the top receivers in the game. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have a stud of Calvin Johnson's caliber ushering in a new era of the NFL.

With 122-catch, 1,964-yard, and 16-TD seasons on his resume, Johnson has, on more than one occasion, put his game- and matchup-changing ability on display.

Jordy Nelson (AP Photo)

Johnson is obviously a freak of nature, but what is it about his overall skill set that has turned him into a perennial first-round fantasy pick? If we can boil that down, we can find other receivers -- presumably cheaper ones -- that produce in a similar fashion.

The answer is pretty simple. Johnson racks up a lot of catches AND chews up a lot of yards per catch. A lot of guys do one or the other, but the guys who do both are the ones who can be truly special for your fantasy squads.

The point of this exercise isn't to point out the obvious. Instead, it's to identify guys who can come close to matching Johnson's production at a more affordable price. Nelson, for example, has been a big-play guy for a few years, but hauled in a career-high 85 grabs in 2013. Not only that, but he reeled in 67 percent of his targets. Imagine what he can do with Aaron Rodgers under center for a full 16 games.

Some other guys in the same mold to monitor in preseason, and target later in drafts are sleeper/breakout candidates Michael Floyd (65, 16), DeAndre Hopkins (52, 15.4), and Terrance Williams (44, 16.7).

The chart below is sorted by yards-per-catch average and includes number of receptions, targets, and catch percentage. Use it to identify some early- and late-round values at the wide receiver position.